Online marketing for local businesses now means everyone can compete with the large corporations desperate to keep all the money for themselves. As long as you’re creative there are an unlimited number of ways you can drive new customers to your store.

To give you a head start, we’re going to look at 10 of the top tactics you can use to get started. Put them into action straight away and it won’t be long until you see fantastic results.

Improve Your Search Engine Rankings

Even if you’re a local business, you can still rank highly in Google and other search engines. When you write content you need to make sure you include the areas you operate in, for example, if an SEO Bureau mentioned Aalst in their articles they would be found if someone typed in “Aalst SEO Bureau”.

Rank In The Local Listings

When it comes to SEO, the local listings are even more important. If someone types a query into Google you want your company to appear as one of the top listings on the map. Luckily it’s the easiest form of search engine optimization to take advantage of because most of your competitors are completely ignoring it at the moment. You can visit this Yelp page as an example of a local listing – http://en.yelp.be/biz/aalst-seo-internet-marketing-agency-page-one-freelancer-aalst

Use Targeted Ads

Facebook ads are great right now because they’re cheaper than AdWords, but they also let you target people in your town. It’s even possible to drill down further, which means you can target your ideal customers by gender, relationship status, income levels, and a number of other different factors. Check out this Facebook business page and study their strategy.

Offer Prizes On Your Website

You should throw competitions on your website offering people prizes if they share your content on their social media sites. The majority of their Facebook friends and Twitter followers will live in the same area as them, so they’re the perfect visitors you want landing on your website.

Talk About Local News

If you’re a local company, it’s crucial you pay close attention to what is happening where you live. If you talk about topics that are close to someone’s heart, they’re much more likely to share the content with their friends. They’ll come back to your site even if they’re not ready to buy, and you’ll always be front of mind.

Network With Other Entrepreneurs

In the past, you had to go door to door to build relationships with other stores and service providers. Now you can send them emails and communicate with them over social media. Ask them to recommend you to their followers, and when you return the favor you both benefit. You can visit Cylex listings to find more entrepreneurs in same interest or market.

Sponsor A Local Event

This is not just a great offline marketing tactic. You can even do everything through emails and Skype calls. Once you’ve sponsored the event you need to let everyone know about it, which might mean adding a badge to your site. People will love the fact you’re helping out, so when they eventually need to buy something you sell they’ll come to you.

Build An Email List

Everyone with a web presence should be building an email list, and thankfully they’re easy to set up. Once you have a list of customers or potential customers you’ll be able to keep in contact with them regularly. Most of your emails should be providing them with useful content, but every so often you can ask them to buy something.

Publish Detailed Guides

I’m not sure what industry you’re in, but let’s say you run a pet shop specializing in different breeds of fish. Sell your customers fish when they visit your shop, but on your site you can publish detailed guides teaching them how to care for their fish. You’ll force them to keep coming back to your site, which will mean more social shares and SEO benefits.

Interviews With Industry Experts

As I mentioned before, it’s easy to contact anyone through the internet, and you’d be surprised who would give up some of their time if you asked nicely. If you can interview experts in your field, it’s an easy way to drive traffic to your site. As an added bonus, some of their expert statuses will rub off on you and you’ll be seen as an authority figure.

Drive More Sales Starting From Now

You can’t sit around waiting for something magical to happen. Online marketing for local businesses is making a lot of people rich, whereas before they would have been happy earning a modest income.

If you utilize the tactics we’ve talked about today, your sales will shoot up. Keep thinking of even more inventive ways to get more customers and the sky is the limit.